China Targets Tax Dodges by Sellers on Amazon, E-Commerce Sites

Based on China’s tax laws, companies with annual sales of more than 5 million yuan need to pay up to 13% in VAT. 

Photographer: Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/Bloomberg

Chinese tax authorities ordered e-commerce giants including Amazon.com Inc. to hand over sales data for the first time, according to people familiar with the matter, in a rare move to crack down on tax evasion by merchants who use the online platforms for cross-border business.

Tax bureaus across China in recent months told major platforms to submit some Chinese merchants’ third-quarter revenue in a bid to curb underreported sales, according to online sellers based across the country, who asked not to be named as the information is sensitive.